1. |
Men as Trees Walking
05:16
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I've wandered the whole earth looking for you
Not the sound of a whisper or your unraveled tune
Like a soft fragile thread that though blind I could hold
A meandering fragrance there to lead me along
And if you remain far I may never be right
Like a cave-dwelling flower after fissures of light
How they dance to and fro, how they never stand still
A nomadic refractory and I can't get my fill
How safe are your pinions when the rain's coming down
You're a bulwark, you're a shadetree, you're a shield for my brow
No longer to run with a snare at my heel
No more asylum will sun and moon steal
I've grown way too tall, I can't hold myself up
And I drank all the water from this dry, broken cup
My voice like a siren and my eyes light a light
tearing slits in the darkness trying to see through the night
I'm afraid if I find you I won't know who you are
Like a moon in the morning or a past that leaves scars
Is this the real reason, and is this the true way
At least due to longing the searching will stay
To be lost in your valleys and your hills ever long
To be lost in your story and to be lost in your song
To perish in rapture and to wither in bliss
With morning's felicity, an eternal abyss
I've got all my reasons for quitting here listed
But a voice deep inside me spoke up and insisted
Don't lay down your sickle though the harvest is dry
If it hurts it might have mattered, if you feel nothing
If I feel nothing did I try?
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2. |
Salvation
02:59
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Salvation, she looks different
Raising hell instead of death
When I reach right in to pull the chaff
Rooting up the wheat instead
Oh Lord, you're gonna break me
So I'll brace myself again
And I know I owe the debt I'll pay
I'll break my will instead
When the forest tells a truthful tale
Of war and endless strife
When the soil wills the eyes to see
All the blood it drank up dry
Oh Lord, you're gonna break me
So I'll brace myself again
And I know I owe the debt I'll pay
I'll break my will instead
When the singers sing in one accord
And the dove becomes the crown
When the trumpet plays a lighted tune
And the walls come tumbling down
Oh Lord, you're gonna break me
So I'll brace myself again
And I know I owe the debt I'll pay
I'll break my will instead
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3. |
Manny's Waltz
03:35
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The night that Manny hit the floor
There was a woman at my door
With auburn skin and bourbon eyes
She loosed the fetter of my pride
And she brought me to the other side
When Manny hit the floor
The night that Manny took the hit
Caused me to reminisce a bit
Of Simon's boxer in '68
When the world was filled with bitter hate
And it seems that not so much has changed
When Manny took the hit
The night that Manny lost the fight
I was sick inside my head all night
I was working late cause I was poor
To try and make my plight no more
To win a round and even the score
When Manny lost the fight
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4. |
Dust
03:29
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Where are you, my pride and joy?
I lost you in winter, the bitter cold
Your headstone read something
So long, far gone, to breathe no more
Who took you, who had their way?
My courage, confidence, put to the test
A fortress, strong tower, now turned to dust
Now turned to dust
My fortress, strong tower, up from the dust
Up from the dust
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5. |
Sincerely, Whistleblower
03:42
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A time has come when the season turns
And the leaves, they get too heavy
A moment of new precedent
A charlatan's unmasking
And though they fall it'd hasten them
If someone would just shake it
The comfort in the fallen leaves
And a barren tree forsaken
Though your limbs spread far and wide
They leave a false impression
You only speak of gentle shade
But not of fierce transgression
That placing shackles on the poor
A weakness not to pardon
Your shadow cast will leave to pass
A desolated garden
Go ahead and string me up
From one of your big branches
Unlike Spring, I'm not the kind
To favor second chances
You lied, you stole, you compromised
You killed and confiscated
The robbers crown will crush your brow
And the power associated
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6. |
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Mockingbird, have you heard
No one likes your singing
The devil's tale in beauty veiled
Left my eardrums ringing
Scissor-tail, fair and pale
Back in Oklahoma
Though I roam, I will soon be home
Never to ignore you
Fuck the jay's theiving ways
When thrashers die in weeds
Stole the nest to my breast
To meet the babies needs
Robin thrush, miss me much
Back in Oklahoma
Though I roam, I will soon be home
Never to ignore you
Sure as hell wish I could quell
My migratory patterns
It's safe to say I'd like to stay
With residential matters
Sure as hell wish I could quell
My migratory patterns
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7. |
Adelia
04:56
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When I lived out by the river, I was sad and was alone
I felt like I was hemmed in by the river like a moat
Adelia sat right next to me and she said,"Boy, you'll be fine.
I'm here to stop the river flowing from my lover's eyes."
Though she loved me like a diamond, her kiss hurt like a snake
As she told me I'm the only one that heaven sent her way
Her food was always bitter and her warmth was always cold
Her gentle touch was not enough for this lonely wandering soul
As the daylight started dimming and Adelia hard to see
I heard the gentle beckon of the river calling me
And with consciousness now brimming I could see the other side
The fields were white with harvest and my dreams were realized
I knew the night would be lonely as she got up out of bed
And let the moonlight guide her to the axe out in the shed
She toiled all night like Jacob and she woke with calloused hands
From cutting trees and making me a chance to leave these barren sands
So I asked her, "Sweet Adelia, why did you cut down that tree?"
"I cut it down to make for you a boat so you could flee
And I packed a wanderers knick-knacks so you'd have just what you need
And I carved my name into the side to make you think of me."
Well the world, it sure was pretty, and the things I saw were quite grand
I learned some things I surely thought I would never understand
Like where I've seen true beauty, what deserved eternal stare
Was when I saw the moonlight fall across my lovers hair
The journey home is long, I forgot from where I came
I feel my soul is lost and calling out it's lover's name
But I've found some peace in hoping as the river carries me
That someday I'll return and know what it means to be free.
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8. |
Rocking Chair
04:25
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Many years I've tried
To know the ways of the churchgoing kind
It never ceased to seem a little out of reach
For someone who believed like me
When I was only five
My nature taught me to justify
The choices I would make
And the lives that I would take
But still it never made things right
In this chair we learn
That lightning gives us what we deserve
You don't get one more chance, or redemption's second glance
But everything will be alright
If I could turn back time
I'd like to shield myself and keep what was mine
I'd put rockers on that chair and forgive what's way back there
And say come sit and talk with me
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9. |
Tower of Babel
05:44
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Where will I be when the world needs my crown?
I'll be beaten, battered, broken down
By choices I've made and feelings I've had
And by thinking that I could make things not so bad
I remember when I thought love was so real
That it could make crooked roads straight and could heal
But that crooked road made me see I'm naive
And it raped me of everything I could believe
Though all along you were standing right here
I was looking for you like you had disappeared
Instead I found a god who's righteousness
Couldn't humble itself to find good in a wretch
Where were you young'un when death took your hand
You're still digging through trash cans and playing with sand
And making snow angels with ash in the street
From great cities and lovers you burned at your feet
You babble like a builder with dreams to the throne
If you can't speak more clearly then we must build alone
So pick up your hammer, take home your pride
I'll pick up this old bastard, his crown, and be fine
I watched the wind come strong as could be
It gathered my failures and took them from me
And I shut my eyes tight so I couldn't see
And I covered my ears so I can't hear them scream
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10. |
Arrows
02:58
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I know my time is running out
Someday soon I know the grave is gonna call
When it does I will not be afraid
Because I know the darkness knows my name
Though I feel that there will be a tomorrow
I don't know if there will be a today
I must fly much straighter than an arrow
I must let my nightmares pass away
There ain't no use in packing up your things
There ain't no use in following after me
There ain't no wandering soul left to be tamed
There ain't no use in trying to change my name
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Ben White Gainesville, Florida
Ben White is a folk singer and songwriter who has been creating music for over a decade. His songwriting is heavily influenced by Appalachian music and old country storytelling. Through an honest and introspective approach to music, Ben creates inviting and engaging experiences for the listener. ... more
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